Endless Nights
by tocks
Summary: After a boring, dead-end case, Mulder unwinds in a local bar. But when the drinks go to his head, who'll be there to help him make it through the night in one piece?
1. Chapter 1

Name: Endless Nights  
  
Author: I be DK the Stalker; also known as the Wookie Devil. Rarr!  
  
Summary: After a boring, dead-end case, Mulder unwinds in a local bar. But when the drinks go to his head, who'll be there to help him make it through the night in one piece?  
  
Setting: Hmm. Somewhere in the middle of season 6. Just cuz that's a great season, and Mulder and Scully are at a good point in their relationship to make this story plausible. No spoilers as of yet, but it's nice if yew've followed the show.  
  
Category/Rating: It's pure humor and MSR. The good stuff, as one would say. Rating-wise, I'd say a general PG or PG-13 for language and some minor adult situations. Nothing drastic though =)  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah. Nothing belongs to me. I'm a nobadie with no life who's borrowing these lovely characters out of boredom and an urgency to write.  
  
Archive: This is just a little humor fic I *had* to start writing one night. If yew really want it, go ahead. Just wait until I complete it and e- mail me at shadowkam@aol.com for a full copy.  
  
A/N: Alrite. It's a Sunday night. Just past 11:30. I have school tomorrow. I should be in bed, but ha. After reading some humor X-File fics for the past few hours, and watching the X-Files Fight the Future movie on DVD about 3 times today [making the grand total of times I've seen it just over 80 since I got it 3 weeks ago], I suddenly needed to write a funny little drunk Mulder fic. Although I'm currently working on a serious, chaptered story that I'll be posting soon, and I consider that to be my very first office X-Files fic, I guess this counts too. Remember; it's just for fun. I find it amusing. Hope yew all do as well. R&R, okay? I'll love yah!  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Downtown Washington D.C.  
  
2:34 AM  
  
Special Agent Fox Mulder swayed slightly on the hard wooden stool. The damn world wouldn't stop spinning and it was really pissing him off.  
  
Reaching out, he grabbed the edge of the waxed bar table and steadied himself into a sitting position.  
  
"Another shot, love." He barked groggily at the charming waitress who merely rolled her eyes and rounded a corner, stepping out of his view to retrieve the order.  
  
"So what is it you do again, Mr. Muldah?" A New York accented male voice broke the agent's staring contest with his empty glass. Its bearer had taken the seat beside him a mere 15 minutes ago, and was trying to hold a decent conversation although Mulder was in no condition to comply.  
  
"I told yah I'm a, what'ca'might'call'm? A... guy with a gun who works for the gov'n'ment and stuff - walking around shootin' and puttin' people in jail."  
  
"A Fed, huh?" The middle aged man deepened the question, taking a sip from his own drink.  
  
"I dunno. F'you insist. But that's just what's expected of me to do. But I don't do that."  
  
That seemed to spark the other man's attention. He turned and raised a questioning eyebrow at Mulder.  
  
"No. I don't do that at all. See, it's all a game of cat'n'mouse. And guess what I am?" Mulder babbled on aimlessly, one hand holding him still and the other rummaging through his messy hair.  
  
The man chuckled and gulped down the rest of his whiskey, just as the waitress returned with Mulder's. Both men nodded - Mulder in thanks, the New Yorker in confirmation that he wanted a refill as well.  
  
"Go on then, Mr. Muldah."  
  
Now it was Mulder's turn to roll his eyes. He hated his guy's accent. What was his name again? Jim or Joe? Or was it Ron? One of those simple three lettered things.  
  
"'Scuse me, who are you 'gain?"  
  
"Brian. Brian McGreen."  
  
Oh well. He was close.  
  
"Right then. B'ian. Where was I?"  
  
Before the man has a chance to reply, Mulder snapped his fingers.  
  
"Yeah. So, I'm the mouse, ok? And the damn cats are all over the place, eating away all the cheese. And my life's work is to get to the cheese, but the cats are *always* on my tail, keeping me from my destiny, and covering their tracks the process. It's a freakin' conspiracy, I tell yah!"  
  
To demonstrate the degree of the matter, Mulder rose from his chair and slammed his hand on the bar. Of course, he miscalculated the distance from his standing spot to the countertop, and his arm flew through the air and did a near 360 rotation before falling limply at his side.  
  
In perfect timing, another customer equally drunk as Mulder, was walking towards the bar when the agent's forceful swing rammed him straight in the chin.  
  
Mulder regained his posture, managing not to fall from both surprise and amusement. Beside him, Brian sneaked his newly arrived refill and lurked away from the bar area, his senses still keen enough to tell him it was time to split before all hell broke loose.  
  
The calm air before the storm lasted a whole 10 seconds, then-  
  
"What da hell, man?!" The bulky, bearded motorcyclist-looking man flexed his jaw before stepping up to the slightly taller Mulder.  
  
"Oh. M'sorry mate. Didn't see yah there." The agent nodded sincerely, his attention returning to the bar as he noticed his chat-buddy was gone. "Hey! Where'd Bob go?"  
  
"I'll show you where Bob went." The leather-jacket equipped offender brought his fist back, punching Mulder full force in the face.  
  
The agent had little time to register the pain of what felt like his nose breaking, for the much heavier man was on top of him in seconds.  
  
The bar crowd suddenly picked up on the action and formed a circle around the brawling pair, chanting words of encouragement and placing bets on who would be knocked out first.  
  
Mulder let pure instinct take over - his arms flew up to protect his face while he rolled the other man off him and in turn proceeded to kick him where it hurt. Luckily for everyone in the bar, Mulder didn't remember he had a loaded gun on him and kept to using brute strength.  
  
After both sides landed a few more punches and kicks, the red and blue lights along with the annoying howl of a police car outside, cut the excitement short.  
  
Two strong officers trailed in with badges and handcuffs, and broke the fight up with relative ease. Mulder was pulled off the floor and propped against the nearest wall as the officers calmed the crowd.  
  
While his attacker was being hauled away, Mulder found the sense to fish out his own badge and flash it at the officer who was preparing to cuff him.  
  
"Ah. A fed huh? How'd you find yourself in this mess, Agent Mulder?" The officer stood back and scanned the room while talking.  
  
"He, uh, came up behind me and hit me." Mulder blurted out what he could remember, oddly excluding the detail that he was the one who'd hit first. Accidentally, of course.  
  
"Right then. Sorry about the trouble. We'll clear this up. You might wanna go to the hospital or something. Seems like you need a doctor for that nose." The officer smiled grimly and patted Mulder on the back enthusiastically, almost causing the agent to topple over.  
  
"A doctor? Oh, yeah. Can do." Mulder agreed with a drowsy nod and thanked the police man.  
  
Within minutes, the bar was back to normal. With the police gone, Mulder wobbled over to the waitress and produced a few $20 bills to pay for his busy night, not bothering to stand around and wait for his change.  
  
Stepping out into the cool February air, he waved a taxi over and attempted to wipe the dripping blood off his face before getting in.  
  
It was time to go see his doctor.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Alrite. I had to proofread it and stuff today, and I'll be continuing the story every chance I get. I find it fun to write late [it's just after 11:40 once more] on school nights. Helps me think. I work well under pressure. Heehee. Anyways! Drop a note if yew like it. Please. Look for the next chapter by the end of the week! -DKers 


	2. Chapter 2

Georgetown  
  
A classic western tune replayed as the film credits rolled. Dana Scully yawned sleepily and hugged the thick blanket closer to her chest as she groaned against her pillow.  
  
A minute of shifting in her half-asleep state and hoping the annoying melody would stop proved futile. Scully's eyes popped open and she quickly regretted it. The TV's radiant beams nearly blinded her as another late, late night movie preview blasted to life.  
  
Slowly, it all came back to her. The misleading case she and her partner had been sent off on two days ago had drained them both, as well as wasted a perfectly good holiday weekend.  
  
Tomorrow was President's Day, and luckily the FBI had given the partners a break. After coming home from an 11 PM flight home from Utah, Scully and Mulder had parted their own separate ways, each dead tired and planning to spend their evenings relaxing.  
  
Scully had tried to go to sleep. She really had. But all attempts failed and she'd settled on her couch to watch some 'old west' movie marathon.  
  
About two hours into it, she'd dozed off, and now, just past 3:30 in the morning, and she was wide awake again.  
  
"I'm getting too old for this." Scully commented to no one and for no reason, pushing herself off the couch and stretching her tense muscles. She briefly wondered what Mulder was up to at this very moment.  
  
"Probably at home snoozing on his couch. His bad habits are growing on me." Again she proceeded to keep herself company as she browsed her living room for the location of the TV remote.  
  
Having no luck in finding it, Scully settled for shutting the television off manually. The house was thrown into a wave of darkness as she clicked a big black button on the TV set and the screen zoned out.  
  
Taking a moment to let her eyes appreciate the lack of light, she visibly jumped from surprise as a loud pair of knocks and mutters invaded her door.  
  
Scully put a hand to her chest to ease her racing heart and lowered her breathing to listen. Everything was eerily silent, and she thought she'd just imagined the pounding.  
  
"Scuh-lee! You awake?"  
  
An unmistakable voice confirmed her growing gut feeling. After all, who else would be banging at her door in the middle of the night?  
  
She suppressed a smile at her partner's keen timing - she had *just* been thinking about him. He never seized to let her down.  
  
Then, her rational side kicked in, and she had to suppress a sigh as well. It figures Mulder would come trailing to her apartment at 3 AM, most likely with some new twist of information or a sudden undeniable lead that would be dragging them across state lines and after shadow conspiracies and-  
  
"Open up, doc."  
  
That quickly snapped Scully out of her thoughts, and a new conclusion circulated in her head. Mulder was drunk as an ass, and he'd coincidently been walking down her street when he decided to pay her a visit.  
  
"Scully! Everythin' okay in there?"  
  
His pleas were getting more desperate, and she amused herself with the thought of leaving him out there all night.  
  
But her neighbors sure wouldn't appreciate the constant bawling and thumping sounds, and unless Scully wanted a dozen lawsuits tomorrow morning, she was going to have to shut her partner up.  
  
"Aiight. I'm comin' in on the count of three! Hold on Scully!"  
  
Now he was sounding frantic - his shutdown mind probably coming up with the strangest conclusions as to why she wasn't answering the door in the snap of a finger.  
  
Again, Scully was mildly amused.  
  
Hearing Mulder's heavy steps as he backed up into the hallway in preparation for a running start, the female agent finally got herself to move towards the door - the alternative being her partner charging straight through it, and likely giving himself a concussion in the process.  
  
"One!"  
  
Scully made a break for the doorknob, twisting it only to find it was logically locked. Cursing under her breath, she started playing with the bolts, unlocking them in the fastest manner she could in the dark.  
  
"Two!"  
  
She was thankful for Mulder's drunken stage, for his counting was delayed. Unfastening the chain lock, she again reached for the handle and pried the door open, the hallway light spilling into her apartment. Stepping slightly behind the door and out of the way incase Mulder didn't see the open passage in time; Scully let her partner do the rest.  
  
"Five!" And with that, Mulder came storming in, bearing what he'd probably claim was a battle cry, despite the fact it sounded like a hysterical chimpanzee's mating call.  
  
Scully closed the door and clicked the main lock, taking in a lungful of air before a loud crash caused her to turn around.  
  
There went the new vase her mother had sent her last week.  
  
"S'ok Scully! I've got him!" Mulder's muffled reply came after an almost endless moment of pure silence. Then, a struggle of groans and gasps came from a good 10 feet away.  
  
Judging from the sounds and desperate movements against her floor, Scully was able to locate her partner in the darkness.  
  
Mulder, much like a young toddler, was crawling over her carpet and making his way toward the couch. Her blanket lay sprawled on the floor behind him, accompanied by the remains of her glass fixture.  
  
"Scully? Scully!?" Mulder called through the darkness, blindly bringing himself to his feet.  
  
Scully quickly walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him before he ran into her coffee table. With her other hand, she easily pushed him back until he flopped down on the couch.  
  
"Relax Mulder. Everything's ok." She spoke for the first time in as many minutes, standing firmly in front of her disoriented partner.  
  
"Where's Scully?" His tone was that of a young child that had just lost his mother in the mall.  
  
"Mulder. I'm here. You're drunk."  
  
Had she been able to see clearly, she would have noticed Mulder's eyes growing five times as wide.  
  
"I am *not* a duck, and you *ate* Scully!"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Mulder-"  
  
"Don't panic Scully! I'll get you out of there!" Mulder cut her sentence short as he attempted to get to his feet, but his partner beat him to it by placing both her hands on his shoulders and forcing him down again.  
  
"Lemme go, you body-snatcher!"  
  
Had she been watching this on TV, Scully would be laughing. But the only thing she felt now was far from amusement. Bringing her hand up, she did the only thing she could think of.  
  
She slapped Mulder across the face hard, and hoped that'd knock some sense into him.  
  
A full ten seconds of silence, then-  
  
"Ow!" Mulder's eyes met hers in the dark and he blinked, letting his delayed reaction sink in. Then, a huge grin dominated his features. "Scully! You're alive! How'd you do that?"  
  
This is going well, the female agent thought and she forced a sweet smile and settled down on the couch by Mulder.  
  
"Yes. I'm fine. And I scared the the bad guys away with my gun. We're safe. Now, you tell me what you're doing here, Mulder."  
  
He blinked again, looking around the dark apartment, the realization of where he was just dawning on him.  
  
"The police man said I should see a doctor."  
  
Scully was immediately on full alert. "Mulder. What police man? What happened?"  
  
She started to reach for him, when a gleaming reflection of the outside moonlight struck off her hand. Only then did she notice it was wet and warm. A bit sticky. Upon closer examination, her fears were confirmed. Blood.  
  
"I dunno. Stuff."  
  
She couldn't have hit him hard enough to make him bleed, could she? Instantly standing before him, Scully took his face in her hands and bent down to inspect it.  
  
Sure enough, a thick trail of blood was drying just under his nose and around his mouth. His left eye seemed bruised, and his forehead and cheek held their own minor cuts. Her worried eyes searched his for any signs of more serious injury, but all she saw was confusion.  
  
"Come on Mulder. Can you stand? Let's get you cleaned up."  
  
He shrugged carelessly and got to his feet, almost collapsing atop her. Wrapping an arm around his waist, Scully led her partner towards her bathroom to tend to his injuries.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Woo. Installment 2. -Rhymed- Thanx for the reviews so far. Keep'm coming! And I'll keep the story coming along faster =) More fun and MSR next chapter, so stay tuned. Hope yar enjoying it. 


	3. Chapter 3

4:18 AM  
  
The bathroom lights were annoyingly bright. Mulder mumbled under his breath as he slumped against the wall once more, while Scully stepped over to the sink to wash the bloodstained towel in her hands.  
  
"Alright, Mulder. You're almost set." She called over to the man who was stationed on the toilet seat, leaning heavily against the wall, practically ready to collapse any second.  
  
"Turn the sun off, Scullee. It's hot in herre." Mulder found the strength to utter that much and attempted to strip off his shirt.  
  
"Mulder. Don't do that. Here." She quickly dropped the wet towel into the sink and flicked the lights off; a steady glow from her bedroom still allowing her to see somewhat clearly. "Better?"  
  
He nodded and quit struggling to pull his shirt off - not that he was getting anywhere by trying to fit his head through the sleeve.  
  
Scully sighed, for the countless time that night, and kneeled down in front of her partner, leveling his head with a gentle hand in order to bandage his nose, which was thankfully not broken.  
  
Mulder swayed slightly and gazed dead on at the crouched Scully, mere inches in front of him. Without any hesitation, he moved forward in an attempt to kiss her, but she easily pushed him back with a finger.  
  
"Mulder. Hold still. You'll be good as new in a second."  
  
He either didn't hear or choose to ignore her statement. Again he leaned in, this time halting half way to utter something hardly above a whisper.  
  
"Hmm?" Scully replied, her mind deeply concentrated on securing a large band on his forehead, and unaware of what exactly he was trying to complete.  
  
"Love yah." Mulder responded into her ear, and stayed uncannily still.  
  
The world seemed to halt as Scully let the simple words sink in. Momentarily she froze, not sure how to reply.  
  
Then her mind kicked in, reminding her of Mulder's state, and she sighed - her hopes having been oddly raised just then.  
  
"Hold still and behave, Mulder, or you'll be in a *lot* more pain." She said, her tone cool and collected as she pushed Mulder back into place. Of course, she didn't mean what she'd just threatened.  
  
She was suddenly very thankful for the dimmed lights, for the fear of Mulder noting her redden cheeks and putting 2 and 2 together was all too great. That had been a close call, and thankfully, Mulder seemed to leave it at that.  
  
The mere thought of more pain seemed to get through the dazed agent's head, and he held still, allowing Scully to patch up his face.  
  
Both of them remand silent and the event was forgotten for now.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Around 20 minutes later, Mulder's bruises were cleaned and strapped up.  
  
Scully proceeded to put away her medical kit and roughly reorder her bathroom, while Mulder yawned restlessly and watched the small woman's movement with keen focus, despite his mind not processing much of what he saw.  
  
Finally, the silence was overwhelming, and he decided to do something about it.  
  
"Where's your llama?"  
  
The question came out of nowhere, and Scully was thrown into a second's worth of panic. She was hanging the last of the wet towels up, and being deep in her thoughts, almost forgetting Mulder's presence.  
  
"Mulder," She began with an intake of air, hoping to keep this conversation simple. "I don't have a llama."  
  
He looked taken aback. The bathroom fell silent and Scully almost smiled. That was easy enough.  
  
"But, Scully. How can you *not* have a llama? That's like not havin' a head attached to your ass!" Although something about that didn't quite sound fitting, Mulder was too out of it to rethink what he'd said.  
  
Damn. So much for the 'quick discussion' part.  
  
"Llamas aren't house pets, Mulder. Especially not for apartments." Scully tried keeping the agitation out of her voice, but failed respectively.  
  
"And heads aren't usually attached to one's behind," she added as an afterthought, making sure to point out the 'usually' part. She could name a prime exception to the statement with ease.  
  
"Oh. Mm'kay."  
  
Maybe she was finally getting somewhere.  
  
"Whad are house pets, then?"  
  
Or maybe she was just digging a deeper hole.  
  
"Dogs, cats, birds. Fish. You, yourself have a tank of fish in."  
  
She let the sentence fade off as she noticed Mulder's body tense. Taking a step towards him, her concern-struck voice broke the uncomfortable hush.  
  
"Mulder. Are you okay?"  
  
He turned to her, eyes full of horror. Scully swallowed and leaned down, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Mulder - what's wrong?"  
  
His worn gaze traveled up to her equally exhausted one.  
  
"Cats."  
  
This was going to be interesting.  
  
"Yes Mulder, cats are very commonly kept as pets."  
  
The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she'd regret it.  
  
"You don't understand, Scully. The cats are evil! They just *want* you ta think they're innocent, loyal, little pet things!"  
  
Right then.  
  
"Okay Mulder. I'll keep that in mind."  
  
A blissful moment of agreed silence followed.  
  
"They're out there."  
  
The change of topic was oddly sudden. Unless, they were still on the same topic of cats, just shifting towards a new theory, sort of speak. With a thoughtful blink, Scully took the bait.  
  
"Who's out there?"  
  
"Them. They. Them." He nodded, as if to confirm the seriousness of the situation.  
  
Scully sighed, shaking her head.  
  
"It's alright Mulder. There's no one outside. We're safe."  
  
She attempted to straighten up but his forceful hands grasped her arms and pulled her back towards him.  
  
"No Scully. None of us are safe with *them* out there. Watching. Waiting. Knowing!"  
  
Scully rolled her eyes but said nothing.  
  
"Shh. Don't talk. I know you're afraid, but it'll be al'ight if we just beat them at der own game."  
  
Scully instantly opened her mouth to protest the accusation of her being afraid, her eyes flaring, but Mulder clamped a hand over her mouth before she could explode at him.  
  
"Do. Not. Speak." It took a lot of will not to bite his hand right then and there. Making a mental note to kill Mulder tomorrow, his partner merely nodded in argument and the hand left her mouth.  
  
Rubbing her jaw overdramatically, Scully sighed and played along, peering out into her shadowy-lit bedroom through the partly open door.  
  
"So what do we do now, *Special* Agent Mulder?" She put extra emphasis on the rank, hoping the overdose of sarcasm would click in his head.  
  
It didn't. Instead, Mulder beamed.  
  
"They'll be waiting for us to come out. So we just won't!" He seemed extremely proud of his logic, and Scully found herself suppressing a smile, despite the fact she didn't feel like spending god knows how long on her bathroom floor, having a survivor contest against figments of her partner's imagination.  
  
"Alright Mulder. We'll wait them out."  
  
She was *so* going to kill him one he was sober - after having him service her for a week or two though: Her apartment would have to be cleaned, a pile of past-due reports would have to be typed, and she'd request a few days of pampering in return for putting up with this.  
  
Sighing, she watched the drunken man cautiously looking around, and she couldn't help but let her anger melt away. Unexpectedly, the thought of what he'd confessed, or more so, blurted out, a half an hour ago rolled around in her mind.  
  
Had he really meant it, or was it just the alcohol or the heat of the moment - their closeness - that forced it out?  
  
She knew she shouldn't be giving it another thought, but it seemed like all she could ask herself right now.  
  
She'd keep a close eye on Mulder tonight, as well as wait until he was clearheaded tomorrow to see if the matter would be brought up.  
  
Knowing she'd be disappointed one way or another, Scully shook her head to clear it before settling down against the wall by Mulder and closing her eyes, just for a second.  
  
It was going to be a long night.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Yay. Tis Friday! My first full week of school is over, thank goodness. Writing this has been the one thing keeping me going day to day. This may seem like a closing remark, but fear not - the story will go on. I'm enjoying it too much to stop now. Yah folks just gotta keep reviewing, and I'll be sure to have the next part up by Sunday or Monday at the latest! And forgive the slight mush in this chapter if yew don't go for stuff like that - I couldn't help it =D 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay. Sorry for the wait =D My weekend was spent catching up on sleep, and Monday's are always hectic until the last moment. But as promised, here's the next chapter. It's just a bit shorter then the others, I think, but bear with me. School is evil, dang it!  
  
Anyways! Before I forget - regarding the spelling comment, I should have pointed this out sooner. See, anything Mulder says is kinda excused for spelling, cuz I'm writing it as he'd speak it in his state [-cue one's English teacher screaming "Never write the way yew speak!"-] Right then! Sorry if that bothers anyone =) I know it may get a little annoying to read at times, but... ha? There may be other grammar and/or spelling mistakes, and those are totally my fault, so feel free to yell at me.  
  
Also, I'd like to greatly thank yew all for reviewing! This means *so* much to me - I skip home each day and plant my ass on the computer, and actually check my mail first thing for any news on how my story's doing. And when I get a couple of reviews, it just really makes my day. I'm a geek, yeah. An insane one at that =) But I really love yah guys for it!  
  
Some more notes at the end of the chapter, so without further raving, here yew go!  
  
~~~~~~  
  
5:48 AM  
  
The first thing Dana Scully became aware of when she peeled her eyes open was the fact that she was not in her bed.  
  
No. She was on the floor; in her apartment no doubt - the smell of the air was too familiar.  
  
It was dark, and the steady pounding of rain, or maybe hail, was accompanied by the howling late winter wind outside.  
  
Through an open door ahead of her, Scully could see into her dimly lit bedroom, informing her that she was located in the bathroom.  
  
With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position and allowed her eyes to adjust to the soft darkness.  
  
Slowly but surely, Scully began recalling what had gone on in the past 24 hours. As she muffled a yawn, her mind filed through the events that had led up to this uncomfortable sleeping arrangement.  
  
As if on cue, something crashed in the living room - not the kind of sound that breaking a cup or plate would cause, but more so the cracking of wood - and her breath caught in her throat, almost causing the agent to choke.  
  
Mulder.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Scully had never, in her life, ran as fast as she did now.  
  
Once the thought that her terribly drunk partner was not around, along with the destructive noises coming from her living room, had sunk in, she'd bolted out of the bathroom, through her bedroom, and into the main section of her small yet spacey apartment fearing the worst.  
  
And she wasn't disappointed.  
  
Through what little light spilled into the room from behind her, Scully could make out Mulder's shadowed form laying in the center of the living room, on what *use* to be her coffee table.  
  
It didn't stop there. Oh no. Her living room looked as if a hurricane has blown by; books and papers cramming the floor, furniture shifted if not broken, and light flickering on and off from at least three broken lamps.  
  
Hurricane Mulder. Sweeping one residence after another.  
  
Although the thought was oddly amusing, at the moment, Scully felt like beating the crap out of her partner.  
  
Instead, she found herself moving to his side to make sure he wasn't greatly injured. Once this was established, she'd get down to serious business of the painful kind.  
  
"Mulder - what in god's name are yew doing?"  
  
He blinked, looking up at her in a daze, before grinning widely.  
  
"I dunno what 'god's name' is or how to get in it, but I found this," he struggled a bit before pulling out a 3/4ths empty wine bottle from the table rubble, "in your cooling box thing and figured I'd care for it before it fell into the wrong hands!"  
  
Scully cursed - why hadn't she taped the fridge shut or something? Just when she'd thought Mulder would sober up a bit, he'd gone and found a way to add to the problem.  
  
Typical. Just plain typical.  
  
"How fortunate for the 'wrong hands.'" Scully rested a palm against her forehead, inhaling and exhaling deeply.  
  
This was not a good day, and it could *not* get any worse.  
  
And just to prove her wrong. A pair of strong knocks on the door broke the mutual silence, and Scully began to regret her hopeful theory on 'worst case scenarios'  
  
"It's them!"  
  
Her partner exclaimed fearfully before long, pushing himself off the cracked wood and scooting over to her; wine bottle in tow.  
  
Scully sighed, resisting the urge to throw herself to the floor and kick and scream until she was satisfied.  
  
Why was this happening to her? What had she done to deserve this? All she wanted was a good night's sleep.  
  
"Them who, Mulder?"  
  
She didn't know why she even bothered, but a portion of her mind wished this all to be some prank act. Maybe if she played along and kept him talking, Mulder would laugh it off and stop acting like an ass.  
  
Of course, this was Mulder after all, and anything short of what hope would be a miracle.  
  
"I'll never tell." His voice was almost sing-song, and it brought chills up and down her spine.  
  
The door was forgotten for half a minute, as Scully simply started at her partner as if he'd completely lost it - which he clearly had.  
  
Then, the knocks returned, another strong and demanding pair forcing the duo back to reality. Scully had expected, for a moment, that the policy 'ignore it and it'll go away' would work, but did it ever?  
  
"Mulder. Just. stay put. Don't move. Don't do anything. Hear me?"  
  
He shrugged, bringing the elegant glass bottle up to his eyelevel before closing in for another sip, seemingly unaware of what was going on.  
  
"And gimme that!" She quickly snatched the wine from his grasp, seconds before his lips made contact with the glass. Mulder looked genuinely hurt, and proceeded to reach for his claimed prize, but a warning look from Scully quickly set him straight.  
  
With another sigh, she rose to her feet and stepped over the remains of her coffee table, trailing through the junk dominating the floor and finally reaching the door as the knocking commenced again.  
  
Scully smoothed out her silky nightwear, which had gained a wrinkle for every time its bearer had shifted position during the endless night, before slowly unbolting the door lock and reaching for the knob.  
  
"Don't listen to them Scully! Stay away from the light!"  
  
Mulder's sudden appearance beside her scared Scully half to death.  
  
"Damn it. I told you to stay still! Now go, sit!"  
  
With a stern look and a pointing finger, she urged him back toward the couch, which was still in relative shape.  
  
Another sigh, and again, she turned to the door. The knocks had stopped, and suddenly, Scully found herself scanning the area for her gun. Just in case.  
  
Luckily, she'd left it by her desk, within easy access. Now that she thought about it, she was more then happy that Mulder had not come across it.  
  
Did he even have his gun on him? She made a mental note to make sure he was disarmed before figuring out what to do with him for the rest of the night.  
  
All she needed was him to go off and shoot something, someone, or himself.  
  
After another moment of thought, she walked back to the door and reached forward, swinging it open.  
  
The last thing she was expecting to see was what stood before her.  
  
The last thing she needed tonight had come.  
  
And now, her day was complete.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Teehee. Cliffhanger-ish? It really wasn't meant to be, but I was running out of time with school looming over my head tomorrow [I'm 16 dang it, and school still controls my life!] And I wanted to have this up for yew guys as promised, so yes. I hope yew're still with me, and as always, review and make me very happy! I'll try and have the next installment up by Friday, but no promises. Defiantly the weekend =) Thanks again for everything and have a good week, ya'll. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Woo. It took me a while, and I apologize, but here we go with Chapter 5! It's been a long week, and when I finally found tons of time to write this weekend, I hit a block, if yew will. Not really a writer's block - no. I have a pretty good idea of how I want the story to go on, but getting my thoughts down into words is not an easy task =) So it took me a bit longer then usual to flop this onto the computer, and I hope yew guys are still with me!  
  
Now then, yew have to withstand a few of my rants and raves. Ok, not that drastic. More like, a few of my comments. Fic-wise, I must say, this is turning out to be an odd category of writing. It was meant for humor, but as one of my lovely reviewers noted, it's not really "haha funny." It's more like what a typically rational Scully would do with an insanely drunk Mulder. And of course, there's a blend-in of MSR, which will be wrapped up in the last chapter as part of my master plan! Now, I have no idea why I had to get that out, but, I did! So we move on.  
  
Referring to the comment about Scully and her depiction as 'short' - yes, I'm sorry about that word usage =) As yew can probably guess, I'm a taller person [just over 5'7''], and most of my friends are 'smaller' then me. So they like to gang up and poke fun at my height, and naturally, I get back at them =D But I really don't mean to offend anyone. I'm a bitch like that, and I'm talented enough to mock people by accident. So, no offense, correct? I love yew guys! Heehee.  
  
And Beguile -pats- Yew're obsessed. Sorry to disappoint, but seeing as this is set season 5-6ish, Doggett wouldn't have even been part of the crew. Not that it would stop me if I were to drop him in, but yea. Trying to keep this as real as possible? Ok. Lame excuse =D But seriously. First yew want llamas, now this! Can ya ever be pleased! -Grin-  
  
And lastly, yew guys can go on and read =D I've wasted enough of yar time. Once again, there're some more notes at the end!  
  
~~~~~~  
  
One Hour Later  
  
Well, there were no 'them.'  
  
No aliens. No mythical creatures. No shadow government men.  
  
No unexpected family members coming with urgent news, no coworkers dropping in for an early assignment, and no unidentified information bearers rising up to warn of impending doom.  
  
But right now, Scully would have preferred any of that to what she got instead.  
  
Point Of the matter, anything and anyone would have been better then her elderly next-door neighbors, who'd popped up over 40 minutes ago, wailing and fussing over the acute noises that had woken their peaceful slumbers.  
  
One would think a mere apology and promise for the better would please the aged visitors, but no. Almost an hour had to be spent arguing back and forth over conduct, rights, respect, and manners.  
  
The couple, seemingly in their mid-60s, insisting they had been keeping an eye on Scully for the past few years, waiting for this troubling day to come.  
  
Apparently, they had been enjoying a romantic late-night dinner and movie, in remembrance of their 50th anniversary, when a consistent yelling and stomping, followed by struggling and fighting, had interrupted their peace.  
  
Of course, in their overdosed generosity and with the hope of spending the rest of their night sleeping soundly, the twosome had let it pass. After all, it was later then 3 AM and they'd not wished to wake the whole building.  
  
But now, in the wee hours of the morning, the bashing and crashing coming from Scully's adjacent apartment had been too much to bear.  
  
And the couple was threatening to call the cops, despite being aware of Scully's line of work, as well as informing the manager of the building.  
  
No wonder many people sent off their parents to nursing homes and facilities when they reached this age - god, were they really just stubborn or did they enjoy being such pains in the ass?  
  
And to top it all off, Scully had to keep them out in the hallway as well as explain why she'd greeted them with a gun. When they asked about the racket, she'd insisted that she'd seen a large rat and had knocked over a few household items while eliminating it.  
  
All along the never-ending conversation, she'd been praying that Mulder didn't break down the door to come to her rescue. Having to explain her partner would have been quite a show.  
  
With an exhausted sigh, Scully waved to Mr. and Mrs. Buckweed as they filed through their apartment door, into a seemingly old fashion, dimly lit home that suited their age.  
  
And with the click of their door lock, Scully closed her eyes and inhaled, her hand shifted down to her own doorknob, preparing herself to walk back into her living room and take in the damage that Mulder had probably added to in her absence.  
  
With a soft creak, the door swung open and Scully peered in. The hallway lights once again spilling into the room from behind her, adding to the glow still coming from her bedroom.  
  
Otherwise, the home was dark, and the heavy hail/thunder storm that was still going strong outside was not helping.  
  
All time stood still for a second, and then a muffled "aye-eee-yaaa!" announced the charge of Mulder, as he came at her from the closet.  
  
Having little time to take in the danger and move, Scully found herself falling back onto the hard floor, with a very heavy and crazed Mulder on top of her.  
  
She took a moment to keep herself from erupting, then very calmly and with surprising ease, pushed her silenced partner to the side and sat up.  
  
"Mulder?"  
  
His unspeaking manner unnerved her, so she decided to step up to the plate. In the low lighting, she could see he was very well coconscious, and seemingly aware of that was going on. Or about as aware as he could be.  
  
"Mulder. Is everything alright?"  
  
It was a silly question to ask of a drunk, but she was making small talk.  
  
He locked eyes with her, blinked, then shook his head.  
  
"They got to you. Now you're one of them!"  
  
His voice was just above a whisper, but she heard every word. And it was somewhat amusing, but overall, annoying.  
  
Scully was getting bored with this. Very bored.  
  
"There were no 'them,' Mulder. And they didn't get anyone. It was just the neighbors complaining about all the noise *you're* causing!"  
  
It took him a full second to let that sink in before he formulated a reply.  
  
"But if there were no them, then how do you know they didn't get you!"  
  
He shot her an 'I win' look and nodded for effect.  
  
Only now did she note that he still reeked of alcohol - a tint of his bar drinks, with a stronger aura of her rather costly wine. The past hour would have logically given him some ease, yet, here he was, full swing.  
  
Scully's eyes shot up to her desk, where she'd perched the wine bottle in return for her gun earlier. Of course, the wine was now gone.  
  
Wonderful.  
  
With a sigh, Scully picked herself off the floor, and helped Mulder up as well, guiding him to the couch.  
  
Once he was seated, she scanned her living area, taking in the damage again. The closet door hung loosely off its hatches, most likely broken. A few vases and ornaments now lined the floor, along with wine stains on the carpet, and about 50 pieces of her once-table.  
  
Mulder was so going to pay for a nice refurnish of the whole house once this was over. She'd see to it.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Yet another 30 minutes later, nearly half past 7 AM, and night was still going strong.  
  
A winter storm watch was in effect for the area, and the outside world was refusing to shed any light into the dim apartment.  
  
Mulder was propped on the couch, trying not to fall asleep in fear of 'them' getting him.  
  
Scully, was seated on the floor, watching the news on TV, trying not to fall asleep in fear of Mulder getting her apartment.  
  
Both were failing miserably.  
  
"Mulder. Go to sleep. It'll make you feel better."  
  
She knew it was useless. For the past half hour she'd urged him to close his eyes three dozen times. And all she got was the same answer.  
  
"Not. Safe. No sleep."  
  
Scully groaned and rested her head on her hand, glancing sideways at her dazed partner. He must have been feeling the effects of his party night by now. Why wouldn't he give into sleep, damn it?  
  
"Scull-ee?"  
  
She shook her head of all thoughts and turned around to face him, raising an eyebrow in question.  
  
"Yes, Mulder?"  
  
"I love ya."  
  
Strike two. This time, Scully was on guard and managed to play it cool.  
  
"Sleep, Mulder. Get some sleep."  
  
And surprisingly enough, he closed his eyes and did just that.  
  
8:02 AM  
  
Scully lay in her bed now, more then 9 hours after she'd first fallen into it after coming home. She'd stayed by Mulder's side for a few minutes, making sure he was indeed asleep, before she'd retreated into her bedroom.  
  
She was dead tired, no doubt there. But her mind refused to rest.  
  
Involuntarily, she'd drifted off into thoughts about her partner, and what he'd been trying to imply all night.  
  
It was just the alcohol speaking. Why was she unwilling to accept that?  
  
Sighing, she closed her eyes, and snuggled against the pillow, listening to the heavy hail-turned-snow fall outside her window.  
  
The silence was welcoming, but it lasted mere seconds.  
  
Then a loud gunshot forced her eyes open.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Dum dum dum? Of course! I'll try not to use up a full week for the next chapter. Bear with me! Also, I think another 2-3 installments will wrap the story up. Don't get me wrong - I'm loving this. But I do think the fic is gonna overkill its name soon. Remember to review! I just *love* that! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hee. Wow. Yes. Wow. Last time I said I'll try not to take up a full week to post, and woo. Surprise. I take 3 weeks instead.  
  
Sorry! So so sorry =) If you know me, you'd know I'm a lazy bum and this is totally something I would go and pull on you guys. Not entirely my fault this time though! Ready for my excuses? Good!  
  
School. Is. Evil. Need I say more? I think so too. Over the week, I'm lucky if I get home by 5:30. Between school itself, PSAT classes, Authentic Science Research courses, Science Olympiad, and most recently, softball practice, I've been loaded. Then comes homework, which leaves me a max of 2 hours of free time a day. That, in turn, has me sleeping all weekend, and totally not in the mood for working (even though I hardly consider writing work :D). Then, I was sick for like 4 days, and to top it all off, I got a minor writer's block as to the format of this chapter's plot!  
  
I think I'll leave it at that. Main point of this rant - sorry! It will not happen again (don't take my word on it though - It's against my nature to be totally promising.) Anyways, this isn't a very, very long chapter, but ha. It's better then nothing, right?  
  
Thanks for sticking with me -grin-  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Georgetown  
  
8:28 AM  
  
Mulder found out the hard way that the lobby doors in his partner's building would not randomly open up and let one through.  
  
Rubbing his forehead and muttering every curse that would pop into his mind at the moment (which consisted mostly of 'dang, heck, and stupid') he gripped the door handle and pulled, nearly toppling into Scully, who was just shrugging into her coat while warily watching her partner from half a foot behind him.  
  
After much effort, Mulder got the door open half way, enough for Scully to split outside. Throwing himself through the closing gab, he made it out as well.  
  
The cold, early morning air hit them hard, but Mulder hardly noticed. Instead, his gaze was lingering on a tall, classy-dressed woman who was standing on the sidewalk by the street.  
  
The women was accompanied by a young teenage boy, her son no doubt, but the FBI agent wasn't about to put 2 and 2 together.  
  
"I'll be a minute Mulder. Don't move."  
  
The simple command was followed by a dead serious glare, and then Scully was off, crossing the street towards her parked car. But Mulder barely comprehended any of it; his focus set on the mystery women.  
  
A few minutes ago, Scully was in bed, hoping for some sleep. Now, she was out here, hoping for patience as not to ripe her partner's head off.  
  
As she bug into her coat pocket to fish out the car keys, she mental cursed herself for not following up on the thought of disarming Mulder earlier.  
  
Had Mulder, far from the right state of mind, not had his gun to scare off the "invading alien cats" from her apartment living room, she'd not be running away from the building now, with the pending thought of all the damage and disturbance fines she'd have to deal with in a few hours.  
  
For the time being, she had to get her partner to his own home, where he could blow the freaking block up for all she cared.  
  
Slipping out of the freezing morning chill and into the equally frosted car, Scully fought to keep her hands from shaking as she started the motor up; her eyes traveling to her partner across the street.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Mulder's manly senses weren't the least bit affected by the alcohol, nor the subzero temperatures overcastting DC.  
  
No. In fact, his hormones were working overtime - his gaze stalking every movement the middle-aged lady was making mere feet away, from the way her tight suit skirt showed off her curves to the lush red gloss that flashed her lips.  
  
The boy, on the other hand, was carelessly draped against the building wall in baggy jeans, an excessively long t-shirt, and a rugged coat, along with headphones flaring rock music. He hardly seemed to have noticed the agents making an appearance.  
  
After a minute of planning his actions, Mulder moved towards the boy, trying to act unbiased.  
  
"Hey there, kid."  
  
In return, he was shot the most annoyed, "screw you" glance that a teenager could muster.  
  
And of course, Mulder didn't get the clue.  
  
"That your mother?" He flicked his head at the women, who was staring up and down the empty streets impatiently.  
  
The boy, clearly pissed at the fact he was dragged awake so early on a holiday, to most likely make it in time for a doctor appointment or what not, didn't bother keeping his eyes from rolling.  
  
"Noooo. It's my father, Sherlock."  
  
Although his voice was dripping with sarcasm, Mulder would be damned if he caught on to it.  
  
"Well I'll be danged," the FBI agent made a show of coughing while he looked the unsuspecting woman up and down with wistful eyes. "Sherlock needs to teach me his secret."  
  
That comment got the teenager to look up, a curious 'you've got to be kidding' look planted on his face. Further questioning was cut short by the arrival of a flashy business taxi, towards which the still unknowing women moved.  
  
"Let's go, Jack. We're running late."  
  
The boy tore his eyes off Mulder with a sigh and pushed himself off the wall and into the car where the women was already awaiting.  
  
As the black cab pulled away, Scully stopped her car in its place, pushing open the passenger door, and breaking her partner out of his wishful fantasy.  
  
"Alright Mulder. Let's get you home."  
  
Alexandria  
  
The car ride was surprisingly uneventful.  
  
The traffic was steady - normal for a holiday morning, just a tad slower due to the frosty roads; a reminder of the storms that had passed all throughout the night.  
  
Talk was kept to a minimum, mostly Mulder claiming that the cats were still out to get him, and Scully insisting that they were not; the whole process repeating after a few minutes.  
  
Pulling up on Mulder's street, Scully slowed down and sighed upon seeing no free space to park. This meant either leaving Mulder in front of the building to wait for her to find a spot, just dropping him off and going back home, or letting him tag along for a round of parking-space hunting.  
  
The thought of Mulder, alone, here outweighed the thought of Mulder, with her, walking the streets in regards to danger. And although she longed to just ditch him and get back home to finally sleep off the night, deep inside that wasn't even an option.  
  
Another sigh and the car once again rolled down the street.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Alright then! Maybe one chapter to go; two if I'm feeling perky and write-ative. And it all depends on my time. Thanks to ya'll lovely folks for reviewing - don't stop now! I will try to keep these 3-weeks-hanging deals to a minimum from now on. Heh. Drop me a note! 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey. Look. I'm alive =) I know it's been like a month since I updated, and I'm sorry. It won't stop. (Hehehe. I got caught up in a "The Ring" line. I love that movie.) Anyhoo. I'll spare yew all a long list of excuses and just say that school, and the month of October, were killers. I finally got a nice, four-day weekend and I was able to sit down and write this up. From here on, it'll be smooth sailing cuz we only have a chapter to go. And I had the end of the story thought up even before I typed the first sentence =)  
  
I seemed to lose a lot of yew lovely reviewers last cycle. Hope this time's different. Enjoy the fic and once again, sorry for the wait! Luv ya guys!  
  
~~~~~~  
  
9:45 AM  
  
Scully watched absentmindedly as her partner strolled the icy streets with childish fascination; stopping every few moments to point at a crystallized tree branch or a frozen puddle of water only to be ushered on by Scully.  
  
Everyone was seemingly at home sleeping in, and the streets, ghostly silent, were crowded with parked cars. It had taken them over 10 minutes and a dozen drives around the same two blocks to finally find a space to stop the car. And still, it was the farthest possible location from Mulder's building entrance.  
  
After what seemed like hours, Mulder halted before his building doors; not quiet registering he lived there but knowing something seemed awfully familiar and called for a stop.  
  
Scully was lost in her thoughts and nearly ran into her partner. She was surprised that he'd recognized his home. Hopefully it was a sign that the alcohol was shimmer down.  
  
"It's the alien headquarters Scully!"  
  
Or, maybe not.  
  
"Actually, Mulder. It's your apartment building. But I guess that's a close enough guess."  
  
Before he could open his mouth and question her choice of words, Scully opened the heavy door and motioned him in, only to follow.  
  
They walked the halls and rode the elevator in silence, despite of the small episode Mulder pulled in refusing to enter the lift because it was "an alien transporting machine."  
  
Coming up to apartment 42, Scully dug into her coat pocket and produced her house keys. After a moment of shuffling through them, she cursed.  
  
"Damn it. I took off your key last night to move it to a new keychain." She looked to her partner for understanding but found him snoozing against the wall.  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
With a snort, Scully reached forward and sank her hands into Mulder's jacket pockets, but found them both empty. Next, she carefully checked his shirt pocket as well as his pants, all with no luck.  
  
"Oh for god's sake."  
  
She glanced at her watch and decided it was late enough to knock on the landlord's door and ask for a spare key. Nudging Mulder awake, she led him back to the elevator, this time trouble free, and down to the first floor.  
  
After five knocks, four rings, and a mouthful of curses aimed at them from within the ground floor apartment, an elderly, nearly bald man flung the door open.  
  
"I'm sorry for the early wake up call, Mister-"  
  
"Who the hell are you?" The man glared at Scully.  
  
"My name is Dana Scully and I'm here to drop off my friend. He lives in-"  
  
"I know you!" The landlord pushed past Scully and poked Mulder square in the chest as if to emphasize his point. "Apartment 42. You're that blasted FBI agent. In and out at all hours of the night, waking the whole damn building and then bringing all types of psychopaths into our peaceful area. I've had my eye on you, sonny. Ever since you moved your ass in here. I knew you were trouble."  
  
Mulder had hardly kept his balance, but thanks to the wall behind him was still standing straight. Once the old man was seemingly done, it was Mulder's turn.  
  
"Oh yea, grandpa? Well, you... you... you smell like poop!"  
  
The landlord swore under his breath and waved at the air in front of his face, trying to defer the reek of alcohol before turning to a slightly amused Scully.  
  
"What the hell've you folks been up to lady? Barging in here on a holiday morning when we're trying to get a good rest, oozing of drugs and whatnot?"  
  
"As I said, I'm sorry for bothering you, but," Scully had to stop and inhale to keep her anger in check. She'd had enough arguing with her elders for a few years. "Mulder has lost his house key and I left my spare at home. Do you think you can kindly give us yours and we'll leave you alone."  
  
She prayed to god this didn't have to be spread any thinner. She just wanted to drop Mulder into his apartment door and go home. She needed a bath and about a day of sleep.  
  
The landlord, whose name she had not yet caught but really couldn't care less about now, seemed to struggle with the option before muttering under his breath about "people these days" and disappearing into his home.  
  
"Sure showed him!" Mulder reported proudly once he and Scully were alone in the hallway. His partner merely sighed and remained silent.  
  
Another minute or so later and the elderly man creaked the door open and dangled a lone key midair.  
  
"Here's the blasted key. Now scat. Just drop it in my mailbox when ya get the chance."  
  
Scully smiled and took the key.  
  
"Thank you very much and sorry again, Mister-" But before she could weasel a name out of him the door was slammed in her face.  
  
"Lovely guy." She turned to Mulder who was staring off into space.  
  
"Come on Mulder. We got the key."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A soft click signaled the successful opening of the lock and Scully found the will to push the door open. A wave of cold air chilled her to the bone and she stared dead on at an open window at the far end of Mulder's untidy living room.  
  
She hugged her coat tightly against her body and walked into the dark apartment, fighting with the light switch for a moment before the room was basked in light. Stepping over a handful of scatter papers and books she reached the window and pushed it close.  
  
Looking behind her she found Mulder standing cluelessly in the hallway.  
  
"Come on in Mulder."  
  
He seemed to ponder the offer for a second before strolling in and swinging the door shut behind him.  
  
"Who the heck lives in this pig hole?" He asked in pure innocence after scanning the apartment.  
  
"That would be you, Porky." Scully suppressed a tired laugh and hardly caught herself in a yawn.  
  
Mulder seemed unfazed by the discovery and instead started off exploring the rooms. Scully, meanwhile, had only enough energy to walk over to the couch and collapse on it. Her eyelids lagged and she finally gave in and shut them.  
  
After a few minutes, she could feel Mulder's presence once again in the living room. She didn't bother opening her eyes though. After all, there was no way for Mulder to get into trouble in his own apartment.  
  
A step. Another step. A crash. And the sound of water lapping onto the floor proved her wrong.  
  
"Scully! Look at the fishies!"  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Hehe. Well, this is it. The final chapter will be out in 2 weeks max. This baby's gonna be done by Thanksgiving if it kills me =) Please review people. Ya know how I just love love love those.  
  
Oh, and before I forget. I have started to write about 5 other works. I seem to be popping up with ideas each week. Look for some of my other stories to start coming out this following week alright?  
  
And again. sorry, for the dozenth time, for making ya'll wait so long for this chapter. You folks are great! Til next time! -DKers 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Tada. As promised, the final chapter, and all before Thanksgiving! I'll have many more comments at the end, but before I forget, Happy Thanksgiving to all and know that I've greatly enjoyed writing this story and I appreciate the lovely reviews yew've all provided!  
  
This installment is short and to-the-point. It's really just tying up the loose end and concluding the plot. But again, more on this and that at the end. Without more of my babbling, I hereby complete my first X-File story ^^!  
  
~~~~~~  
  
11:40 AM  
  
Scully collapsed against the couch for the second time that morning, her eyes begging for sleep even though it was practically noon.  
  
The cloudy darkness outside made today seem like any other Monday. If she had to have been at work right now, she didn't think she'd be able to last the day.  
  
Mulder was finally out cold in his bedroom. She, on the other hand, had spent the last hour and a half re-patching his wounds from the night, as well as un-flooding his living room and plucking dead fish out of the carpet, although she was sure Mulder would be finding more of their remains over the weeks to come.  
  
Hoping her ordeal was over and done with, she drew circles into her wary temples and semi-subconsciously fantasized about the many ways she'd get back at her partner for this whole episode.  
  
Another yawned forced her eyes open and for the first time she had a chance to note how cold it was in the apartment. For some reason, the heating system was down, but it probably would not have been a good idea to pay the landlord another visit at the time.  
  
Groaning, Scully peeling herself off the couch and regained her balance before making her way towards the bedroom. Peeking in, she was relieved to find Mulder peacefully asleep on one side of the large mattress.  
  
Suddenly, the other half of the bed seemed very welcoming.  
  
Before she had time to think about it, her feet were already edging her into the room.  
  
"Tell me a story, Scully."  
  
Mulder's muffled voice startled the crap out of her; stopping her midway to the bed side where she had just made up her mind to settle in.  
  
"Mulder. No stories. Just go to sleep."  
  
When no reply came, she figured he was just muttering in his slumber. Slowly and silently, she made it to the free side of the bed, and then just as sneakily, she lowered herself onto it.  
  
So far so good.  
  
The freezing sheets were soft and fresh, and the fluff pillow was relaxing and cozy. Her eyelids fluttered and she yawned again, enjoying the silence for a full minute before it was disturbed, again.  
  
"Scully. Tell me about the aliens."  
  
The female agent shifted her position towards Mulder, and found herself face to face with him - only his eyes weren't even open.  
  
"There's nothing to tell. Sleep."  
  
He snorted in protest then turned his back towards her. Scully found the will to roll her eyes and she too, turned the other way.  
  
Another moment of silence, and she began dozing off. Maybe this was it.  
  
"Scully?"  
  
But of course, it was too good to be true. She peeled her eyes open with a muffled yawn and managed to utter a "yea?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
Scully grew instantly silent, her brain hardly even jumping at the notion; both from being use to the words since Mulder had repeated them three times in the past 10 hours and that fact that she was one twentieth awake.  
  
"Mulder-"  
  
Before she could tell him to go back to sleep, her rational judgment took over. All the other times she'd simply flicked him off and ignored his statements, it had ended in even more trouble.  
  
Maybe the only way to put an end to this endless night was to play along. Or at least make it seem like she was playing along. Within, this had been the chance she was waiting for, although she hadn't exactly pictured the situation as such.  
  
After all, Mulder would wake up in a few hours with one hell of a hangover and hardly any memory of what had occurred all night. It couldn't hurt to give him what he wanted to hear.  
  
"Love ya Scully. Night."  
  
His confirming mumble made up her mind.  
  
"I love you too, Mulder."  
  
There she'd done it. And with a triumphant smile, she rested her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes, easily and almost immediately drifting off, knowing that it would be alright now.  
  
Beside her, Mulder snuggled against his own pillow; a successful grin pasted on his face as well.  
  
The alcohol had worn off hours earlier.  
  
But nobody had to know.  
  
THE END  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Woo. It is done. I hope that wasn't too mushy/sappy. And I hope it doesn't seem rather unfitting to the story. As I said, when I decided to write up this plotline, the very first thing that came into my head was this ending. And then, no matter how the story progressed, I couldn't find myself to change the end or modify it with a humorous twist. I dunno. Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic, but I found it cute. Heh.  
  
Now then, on with some more comments. I greatly enjoyed writing this, and I apologize for the long periods it sometimes took me between updates! I love ya'll for your constant words of encouragement - those reviews made me feel really special and all. I am really gonna miss writing this story, and right now I'm taking this chance to "promote" my current work, Urban Legends, which I actually began writing before this story and I consider my first "real" X-Files work. I urge any and all to go follow that story and offer the same support as you did with this one. It's going to be odd not writing with a humorous twist, but I'm looking forward to it. Maybe in due time, if some funny and random idea pops into my head, I'll write another comedy-ish fic. I mean, they're just fun to write, get me?  
  
Hmm. A few more things I must say. With this story, I basically had a few goals set for myself. I wanted it to be an even number of chapters, cuz I'm odd like that, and I wanted to reach 10,000 words. Both of these have been accomplished and I'm happy happy happy! Another goal is hopefully to get at least 45 reviews. Why? Don't ask me, but I just like the number 45. And more then that would surely be welcomed, but point of the matter - if yew're reading this, make sure ya drop me a line.  
  
Well, I think that covers it. I *hope* that covers it cuz it's almost midnight and I do have school tomorrow. Then again, it's going to be a Friday, so I won't complain. Millions of hugs and thanks to all my lovely reviewers. It's late so I won't list ya all, but mleh. I still love ya! Thanks for sticking with the story and giving me the will to finish it! -DKers 


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